Prepared by Messenger Staff
Tbilisi Court Sentences Two Activists to Prison After Rustaveli Avenue Confrontation
The Tbilisi City Court has sentenced activists Tornike Toshkhua and Mindia Shervashidze to prison after their arrest during a pro-European rally on Rustaveli Avenue on August 16. The prosecutor's office accuses them of participating in group violence.
Both men were charged under Article 126, Part 1, Subparagraph "b" of Georgia's Criminal Code. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison.
The case relates to an incident that occurred on Rustaveli Avenue at around 11 p.m. on July 31. According to defense lawyer Omar Purtseladze, former football player Beka Gotsiridze came to the area armed with a knife and insulted demonstrators, which led to a fight. Activists say they saw a knife fall out of Gotsiridze's pocket during the altercation and handed it over to patrol officers. Police then removed Gotsiridze from the scene.
In court, prosecutor Nino Zhvania argued that Gotsiridze had been physically assaulted by a group.
At the August 18 hearing, Judge Eka Barbakadze rejected a motion from the defense to grant bail and ordered Toshkhua and Shervashidze to remain in prison. The next hearing is scheduled for October 6.
Activists maintain that Toshkhua and Shervashidze are victims of provocation. They cite videos posted by Gotsiridze on TikTok after the confrontation, in which he said he had been in a fight and mocked protesters, claiming they "couldn't even beat him up." In subsequent videos, Gotsiridze insulted pro-European demonstrators and their supporters and vowed he would "see this through to the end."
Mdinaradze Says Georgian Dream 'Indifferent' on OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission
The leader of Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, said on Monday that the ruling Georgian Dream party has not decided whether to invite the OSCE/ODIHR to observe the upcoming local self-government elections.
"No, we haven't made a decision. The OSCE/ODIHR itself says it's too late for all this. We were thinking about it. We haven't said a categorical or definitive yes or no," Mdinaradze told journalists.
According to him, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) has not shown much enthusiasm about sending a mission. "For some reason, they expressed a position that was surprising to us, and they didn't show much enthusiasm in their statement or stance," he said.
Mdinaradze added that the ruling party is unconcerned about whether or not observers come. "To be completely honest, we are indifferent to this issue. We don't have a significant problem with them being invited or not. It's unimaginable that we would have any issue with an observation mission," he said.
He stressed that the decision remains open. "We're not planning [to invite them], nor are we at a point where we've decided not to plan it. We may invite them, or we may not. It depends on our decision," Mdinaradze stated.
